Glare-shield.



goo ogpooql W. H. BURTIS.

GLARE SHIELD.

APPLICATION HLED APR.13, 191s.

Patented May 14, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WLH BURTIS.

GLARE SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13. 1915.

Patented May14,1918.

MIN

W. H. BURNS.

GLARE SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13,1916. 1,266,399. Patented May14,1918.

3 SHEETSSHEEI 3.

WWII/Ill TED STATES PTENT FFEQ.

WILLIAM H. BURTIS, OF DEGORAH, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS F. WALLACE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GLARE-SI-IIELD.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BURTIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Decorah, in the county. of Winneshiek and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Glare-Shields; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

A ly invention relates to new and useful improvements in glare shields and is primarily used in connection with automobiles for deadening the glare of the head lights of an approaching automobile, and my object is to provide means for adjustably attaching the shield to the steering post or column.

A further object is to provide means for readily adjusting the position and angle of the shield.

A further object is to provide means for manually positioning the shield.

And a further object is to provide means for adjusting the manually operated shifting parts.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application,

Figure l is a sectional view through the upper end of a steering post or column showing a portion of the steering wheel in plan view.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper end of the steering column showing my improved shield applied to use thereon, one position of the shield being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a detail edge elevation of a portion of the steering wheel and end of the lever for shifting the shield.

Fig. at is a detail sectional view as seen on line H of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view through a series of posts showing a modified form of support for-the shield, and means for attaching the same to the column.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof showing the manually operated levers for controlling the movement of the shield in section.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14:, 1918. Serial No. 90,925.

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing a further modified form of means for attaching the support to the column.

Fig. 8 is a view, similar to Fig. 6 with the supporting means for the shield removed.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of that form of clamping collar shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Fig. 10 is a detail plan view partly in section of a modified form of means for ad justably securing the shield to the supporting means.

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view through the steering post showing a different means of mounting the shield to the steering post.

Fig. 1:2 is a horizontal sectional view as seen on line 12-12 of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is an edge elevation of a clip to which the supporting means for the shield is pivotally attached.

Fig. 14 is a rear view thereof.

Figs. 15 and 16 are side and edge elevations respectively of a modified form of shifting lever, and

Fig. 17 is an elevation partly in section of a further modified form of shifting lever.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate correspending parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates a steering column or post which may be constructed in the usual or any preferred manner, and 2 indicates the usual form of steering wheel, said parts be ing commonly employed for steering automobiles and motor propelled vehicles.

W hen driving over the roads,especially in the country district, large and brilliant head lights are employed, which, when approaching another machine, prevent the driver of the approaching machine from observing the road over which the machine is traveling, as the rays of the lights completely dazzle the eyes of the approaching driver, and to this end I provide a shield 3, which is preferably constructed of colored glass, celluloid, or similar transparent or semitransparent material, said shield being attached to a standard 4, the free end of which passes between ears 5 of a shank 6, said shank being in turn slidably mounted in a socket 7 carried by the steering post 1.

The outer end of the socket 7 is provided with slits 8 so that the end of the socket may be contracted to bind the same against the shank 6 to hold the shank in adjusted position, a band 9 being introduced over the Will essence slitted end of the soclzet 7. said band carrying abinding screvv 10 which is threaded through the Wall of the band and adapted to clamp the slitted end of toe socket into lirni engagement- With the shank. T he inner end of the socket 7 is provided with cars 11 which engage ears 12 of a. block 13, and if deemed necessary the meeting races ot' the cars 11 and 1'2 may have serrations or roughened surfaces it which cooperate with each other to normally hold the socket and parts attached thereto stationary, the ears 11 being pivoted to the ears 12 by extending a bolt 15 transversely through the ears, While the serrated faces are yieldingly held in engagement with each other by means or a spring 16 positioned around the bolt 15 between the ears 11.

is the shield 3 is designed to be swung vertically to various positions, the bifurcated end of the standard and the inner faces oi the ears 5 may be likewise provided with serrations (not shown) to hold the shield in its vertical adjustment, a spring 17 being positioned around a bolt 18 employed for pivotally attaching the standard d to the ears 5, said spring;- directing outward pressureagainst the bifurcated ends of the standard.

Under ordinary conditions the pressureoit the springs 16 and 1? will be sutiicient to hold the parts with which they cooperate against casual movem nt, even when the serrations are omitted, hence l reserve the right to omit or use the serrations occasion may require.

The side faces of the block 13 are provided With recesses 19 into which project extensions 29 carried by the cars 21 at one end of a pair of cooperating collar members the opposite ends of the collar members having registering cars '23 through which extends a bolt 24:. the ears 23 being slightly spaced apart so that when the nut is turned on to the bolt 2%. the collar ineinbers will be firmly clamped into engagement with the steering post 1, thereby supporting tie shield 23 from the steering post.

The collar nienibers are preferably positioned adjacent the upper ends of the steering post 1 so that the ends of the levers 26, employed for moving the shield laterally, "will be in convenient reach of the hand of the driver of the rehicle, the inner ends of said levers being passed through a guide 2 on the socket T and overlapped with each other, said overlapped portions having registering bores 28 through which extends a bolt and by means of which the inner. ends of the levers are adiustabh attached to the socket.

In l have shown :1 modified form of means for attaching the socket member to the steering post and also a modified form of means for holding the socket in its adjusted position. and in this instance the socket 230 is attached bet-Ween ears 31 of a split collar said collar fitting around a bushing fixed upon the steering post 1, said bushing having av flange at its lower end upon which the split collar 32 rests, while a ring member 3% is entered on to the steering post above the collar. the flange 33 and ring ineniber being clamped against the opposite of the split collar by extending bolts downwardly through the ring nieinber 3st and into threaded openings in the tlange 33, the ring member being yieldingly engaged with the split collar by introducing springs 36 between the heads 37 at the upper ends or the bolts and the upper face of the ring ineinber The split collar is held in position around the, bushing by providing spaced ears 38 at the split ends of the collar through which extends a bolt 39, a spring eiO being introduced around said bolt between the ears.

In this instance. the socket 30 is pretei ably fixed to the ears 81 by means of rivets ell. or otherwise. and the levers 26 are extended through a loop instead of between guides. A diiierent means for holding the socket and parts carried thereby in proper adjusted position is provided, consisting oi a rack 1L3 suitably supported upon the steering postl as by a bracket and arms or the like (not shown) and having teeth is on its inner face, with which cooperates a spring linger carried by the socket 30, said linger and teeth normally holding the socket against lateral movement.

Instead of providing a clamping screw for engaging the end of the socket with the shank 6 the band d6 is provided Withv interiorly disposed threads l? which decrease in diameter from the inner to the outer edge oi the band, said threads engaging similar threads S on the end of the socket 30, the threads i-S being gradually decreased in diameter from the inner to the outer edge of the threaded portion. the arrangement of said threads giving a beveled face to the end of ti socket and the interior of the band so that a slight turn of the band will securely clarnp the end of the socket in engagement with the shank. it being understood of course. that t 1e end of the socket 30 is provided with slits in Fins. 7. S and 9.1 have shown a different rorin of device for attaching the socket to the steering post, in that a clamping collar 50 is pr vided. said collar being formed in two substantiz scirculztr sections. sa d sections na disposed flanges 52 at tire edges, one end oi one set of no ing over and being; hing cl secu es extend e i red to the flanges of the opposite sectiom vhile the opposite ends of said flanges are provided with upwardly and downwardly extending ears 53 through which pro'ect clamping screws 54, by means of whic the sections are firmly clamped into engagement with the steering post. The split collar 33 is then extended around the clamping collar 50 and rotates thereon when the socket is shifted to change the position of the shield- In Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14, I have shown a further modified means for attaching the socket 7 to the steering post which comprises a clip member having a vertical body portion 55, to the ends ears 56, between which the end of the socket 7 is pivotally mounted, and in order toclamp the clip member in engagement with the post 1, a split collar 57 is introduced around the post, said collar having an offset 58 to receive the body 55 of the clip, the width of the body 55 being less than the width of the ears, to form recesses 59 at each edge of the body, in which parts of the oifset portion of the collar seat.

The split ends of the collar areprovided with cars 60 which are spaced apart and through which extends a bolt 61, a nut 62 being engaged with the threaded end of the bolt for drawing the ears together and clamping the collar to the post.

In Figs. 15 and 16, I have shown a different form of lever for shifting the position of the shield, which in this instance, comprises a flat body portion'63 which is split lengthwise at its longitudinal center and the split portions bowed outwardly in opposite directions to form a socket 64: for the reception of the socket 7 and the levers may be attached to the socket 7 in any preferred manner. The ends of the body 63 are twisted at right angles to the remaining portion of the body to form thumb ieces 65. This form of lever is to be used in connection with steering wheels of standard diameter and hence not adjustable longitudinally.

In Fig. 17, the body 66 is preferably tubular and the central portion thereof is expanded to form a socket 67 for the reception of the socket 7, lever sections 68 being entered in the ends of the hollow body portion 66 and are adj ustably held therein by means of screws 69 so that the length of the levers may be increased or decreased as desired, the ends of the lever sections being flattened to form thumb pieces 70.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of means for attaching the socket to the steering post of the vehicle, I desire it to be understood that I claim all substitutes and equivalent structures for supporting the shield from the steering post of the vehicle as may clearly fall within the scope of my invention.

In operation, when a vehicle is approaching having brilliantly lighted head lights.

of which are attached the shield is thrown up to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when pressure is applied to one of the levers 26 until the shield has been moved to a position to shield the vision of the driver from the rays of light from the head lights and the shield may be readily controlled to retain the same between the operator and the light until the vehicle, carrying the lights, has been passed.

When the shield is not in use, it may be thrown downwardly to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby disposing the same entirely out of the vision of the driver so that an uninterrupted view may be had.

This device can be very cheaply manufactured and readily applied to use in connection with the steering post of the present make of vehicles.

It will likewise be seen that the shield can be very readily and easily operated to shift the same laterally to position the shield between the driver and the rays of the light of the approaching vehicle and that a variety of adjustments may be obtained to adapt the same for drivers of varying heights.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with the steering post of a vehicle, of a socket member, means to pivotally adjust the socket member upon the steering post, a shank, means to adjustably secure the shank in the socket member, a standard, a glare shield secured in one end of said standard, ears upon the outer end of said shank, ears upon the opposite end of said standard positioned between the ears of said shank, a bolt projected through both sets of ears, and a spring between the ears of said standard and surrounding said bolt for holding the ears of said standard in frictional yet movable contact with the ears of said shank for adjustably maintaining said standard upon said shank.

2. The combination with the steering post of a vehicle, of a glare shield, an adjustable support for the glare shield, means to movably secure the adjustable support to the steering post, levers for swinging said support and shield laterally, and means to adjustably secure the levers to the support.

3. he combination with the steering post of a vehicle, of a glare shield, an adjustable support for the glare shield, means to movably secure the adjustable support to the steering post, transversely disposed levers upon said support for swinging the support and the shield laterally, and means to adjustably secure the levers to the support.

4. The combination with the steering post of a vehicle, of a lare shield, an adjustable support for said glare shield, means to mov ably secure the adjustable support to the steering post, levers for swinging said support and shield laterally, finger grips upon said levers, and means to edjustubiy secure the levers to the support.

5. The combination with the steering post of a Yehieie, ofu glare shield, an adjustable support for the glare shield, a resilient clamping member adjustabiy secured upon said steering, post, means to inovabiy secure 39 said support upon said clamping member and to frictionaliy retain said support in iat- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissiener rot Patent-s,

Weshingtou, B. (3. 

